Super-sizing the ITV kids’ offer

Digital platform ITVX is poised to become the new children’s destination for the commercial broadcaster, opening up a swathe of new content partnership opportunities.

By Gün Akyuz

Abroad range of opportunities is opening up for kids producers at ITV’s digital player ITVX as it prepares to take over as the primary destination for children’s content after the summer holidays, according to ITV’s manager for kids acquisitions and coproductions Darren Nartey.

The impending closure of ITV’s linear kids’ channel CITV, announced in March, sparked concerns about the future of original commissions in particular. But Nartey, whose remit also extends to commissions as the initial ITV contact point for new projects, says these fears are unfounded.

From this fall, AVoD-driven ITVX will become the primary destination for kids’ programming, with the aim to double ITV’s current output to 100 titles and over 1,000 hours by the end of 2023.

With this boost, the platform is significantly expanding its remit as a general entertainment service for kids of all ages, across animated and live-action scripted, unscripted entertainment, gameshows and sports.

The commercial pubcaster currently offers boyskewing linear channel CITV for 6-12s and preschool block LittleBe on secondary digital channel ITVBe, as well as on ITVX.

All children’s content is due to become available in a kids’ walled garden and kids’ page launching this summer on ITVX. A transitional period over the summer holidays will allow kids to watch shows on both.

“The key word is that we are looking to ‘super-size’ our kids’ offering on ITVX,” says Nartey, highlighting the platform’s doubling in volume by the end of this year. “That is a monumental task, given the kids’ content we currently have.” g feeel has been lost a bit CITV channel closure,” a d ds’ block on ITV2 from h hool us. h he ific w we UK- o out with eal to UK

The ITV Kids team has been expanded to deal with that challenge, but Nartey says securing 1,000 hours by the end of this year won’t be the end of it.

“The fact we want to double what we were offering on the platform is a message that I feel has been lost a bit amongst the chatter around the CITV channel closure,” says the exec, pointing out that a linear presence will continue with a daily morning kids’ block on ITV2 from 06.00 to 09.00, as well as preschool block LittleBe.

ITVX will cater for both preschoolers and kids aged six-plus. “The key difference is in terms of the genres. There are very, very specifi genres for CITV and on LittleBe we have a strong preference for UKvoiced content. With ITVX, it’s about the most popular IPs mixed in with original content that would appeal to UK kids,” says Nartey.

Expanding on ITVX’s new kids strategy, Nartey says more girl-skewing and gender-neutral content is a priority. Upcoming animated reboot Princess Sam Productions, is one example of this new direction. On the gender-neutral front it has also picked up North American unscripted sports-based series Champion and animated action-comedy s strategy, Nartey says neutral content is a oot Tara Duncan, from e ont it up-based series All-Round medy FriendZspace

“CITV has always been slightly boy-skewed when it comes to animation specifically, and we’ve always relied heavily on comedies,” he says, citing classics such as animated shows Mr Bean, Inspector Gadget, Scooby-Doo and the rebooted Mr Magoo

Other classics lined up include high-profile British brands such as Teletubbies Let’s Go,Sooty, Bob the Builder and Mumfie. Moreover, Netflix’s preschool animated series Gabby’s Dollhouse is a show Nartey says he’d also have liked for ITVX.

Now that ITVX is the priority platform, the goal is “to create a real destination for kids, and a lot of thought and research is going into the user experience,” says Nartey.

“We want to deliver a world-class streaming platform for UK kids to enjoy specifically because we only cater for UK kids; we don’t have international channels. Our audience and everything about ITV is UK[-related] and that’s what we’re trying to do and protect.” kids s we’re to invest in it. W clear evidence between t and ho performing,” he says.

While the company doesn’t release performance data, Nartey points to the steady overall decline of linear audiences, including at loss-making CITV, and challenge of competing against SVoD and streaming platforms, behind the decision to ramp up its kids presence on the platform.

“We see a lot of value in streaming for kids, and that’s why we’re looking to invest in it. We have seen clear evidence between the way the channel performs and how ITVX is ITVX is currently mulling the launch of children’s’ FAST channels, although this is yet to m children t be confirmed. ch h service to market is co continues: “We’re discov v fi talk k because do want to previous k done with them.”

Back from a recent fishing

The biggest challenge in bringing ITVX’s new kids’ service to market is competing in a space where “a lot of the biggest franchises already have streaming homes,” says Nartey, but he continues: “We’re discovering some good opportunities for IP without a home. And we’re also finding that producers are still talking to us because they do want to work with us, based on previous work that we’ve shing expedition to Kidscreen, Nartey says the ITV Kids team went on a mission to “move quickly to try to secure titles delivering this year, as well as adding existing titles to what’s missing in our catalogue.”

And unlike other platforms and streamers present at the event, ITV Kids had a positive message “because we were looking for more content to try to fulfil a brief,” he says.

On the back of that trip alone, ITV Kids expects to have secured a sizeable number of new titles by the end of this year. “We’re currently in active negotiations for some projects but going into MipTV there are still gaps that need to be filled,” says Nartey.

As well as girl-skewing content, ITV Kids wants more preschool shows and projects that reflect accessibility and diversity. “We want a wide breadth of shows that showcase how diverse the UK audience is,” says Nartey, singling out The Sound Collector from local prodco Eagle Vs Bat,

“ We want to deliver a world-class streaming platform for UK kids to enjoy specifically because we only cater for UK kids; we don’t have international channels. Our audience and everything about ITV is UK[-related] and that’s what we’re trying to do and protect.

Darren Nartey ITV funded as part of the highly successful but now shuttered BFI Young Audiences Content Fund (YACF).

“It showed how such a brilliant idea about a young boy who requires a hearing aid can be made for such a commercial streaming platform, and we’ve had huge success with it,” says the exec.

“Accessibility is at the forefront of our new content strategy. We are also going to have sign ‘rails’ [sections] on the platform and we are investing in more signed content for the platform.” This includes content from ITV-owned subsidiary Signpost Productions on a number of projects including British Sign Language original programming Mission Employable and Daremaster

Another need is for serialised live-action drama in any genre. “It can be action, it can be comedy. The restrictions are no longer there and we are targeting as broad an audience as we possibly can,” says Nartey.

ITV Kids’ new strategy on ITVX gives room for more genres and formats. Nartey says shows can now be more serialised rather than self-contained, with the ITVX kids’ service looking to build a deep catalogue of series with multiple seasons.

Opportunities for coproductions and enhanced pre-buys continue, always on a case-by-case basis and depending on the idea of the show, says Nartey. “In the future, it very much will be coproductions rather than fully funded shows. I don’t think there are any broadcasters fully doing that, apart from the streamers,” says Nartey.

Fully funded animated series The Rubbish World of Dave Spud has been renewed and premieres on ITVX next year, but other programmes, such as gameshow Don’t Unleash the Beast and arts and crafts series Makeaway Takeaway, came to life through the YACF’s funding.

Thanks to the three-year financing initiative, ITV’s originals slate grew substantially through coproductions, from the two or three it previously engaged with, alongside a handful of enhanced pre-buys, says Nartey. Among them are hits like Aardman Animation’s Lloyd of the Flies and preschool animated series Happy the Hoglet from Paper Owl Films, a copro with RTÉ Jr. A second season of the latter show was greenlit in February.

Emphasising that commissions remain very much under consideration, although a final decision has yet to be made, Nartey adds: “Coming out of the YACF we saw the value because we really embraced it and worked with it in a really productive way, and commissions will always be a part of the CITV DNA.”

With girl-skewing, accessible and diverse content front of mind, Nartey says he’s looking for the next pitches to be pre-buys and coproductions. “If the economics work and the opportunity arises, we would definitely be interested. If it falls under commissions, I can’t give an answer yet, but if disability is at the heart of it, we need a lot more content that serves that audience,” he says.

“We will look at the data and see where shows are working or not and where we need gas, but also in terms of the audience we serve and what types of content we need to add to the catalogue to make it a much broader experience. We’ll factor all of these things in when we’re looking to either pre-buy a show or just acquire a piece of content,” he explains.

Pitching to ITV is best via email, says Nartey, alongside meetings at industry markets. Pitches should include at least a pitch bible and some scripts, as applicable. “At the moment, we do need a commissioning broadcaster at least attached to projects for us to really consider them, just based on the timelines that we work to,” says Nartey.

“We are open to all genres of kids’

UK audience, because the BBC already has that as part of its remit, so we need to be providing UK kids with an alternative.”

ITVX requires AVoD-only rights, even though it is also available as a premium adfree option. “We’re not classing it as SVoD because you’re paying for functionality, i.e. the ability not to have advertising and to be able to download the content on to your device, but it’s the same content,” Nartey explains.

The streamer also wants rights for a minimum of three years. “That’s how long it will take for us to really market a show and get it going to make it as popular as possible,” says Nartey.

We are open to all genres of kids content, both preschool and six-plus. The only slight area where we do not want to do too much of is curriculum-based educational content. But a light touch of educational content is fine. It’s partly to do with how, as a PSB, we need to serve our ience, because the BBC has ng an X even ption. “We’re not classing it as SVoD e your but me content,” s for a minimum of “That’s how will take for us to market a show and ular as possible,” rtey. st lly, a show animated Witch in w n daptation and has y VRT ar, DeAPlaneta atalogue any hose shows mated skehounds, Around the and The World of as well as more recent ard . DeAPlaneta the brands into mass-

Since his appointment as director of content and distribution for DeAPlaneta Entertainment’s kids and family division last year, Carlos Biern has been working to establish the Spain-based company as a studio rather than just a distributor.

His role is to grow the DeAPlaneta Kids & Family portfolio of animated series through original productions, coproductions and acquisitions, with the aim of creating global brands, in addition to establishing these brands on digital platforms such as free ad-supported streaming TV (FAST) channels.

One of DeAPlaneta’s biggest properties is animated series Milo, which is a coproduction with UK prodco Fourth Wall for Paramount-owned Channel 5’s preschool strand Milkshake!. Since its debut in 2021, Milo has been picked up by broadcasters in Europe, Latin America, Australia, New Zealand and China. It will launch in North America soon, while a toy range is also in the works.

At MipJunior last year, DeAPlaneta pitched Magic Lilly based on German book series Hexe Lilli, which was initially adapted into animated series Lilly the Witch 2004. The new semiserialised version is a contemporary adaptation of the original and has been picked up by Cataloniabased TVC, with pre-sales struck with broadcasters including VRT in Belgium.

Earlier this year, DeAPlaneta acquired the catalogue of Madrid-based children’s content company BRB Internacional, whose shows include classic animated series Dogtanian & the Three Muskehounds World with Willy Fog David the Gnome, as well as more recent shows like Bernard Bear plans to transform the brands into massmarket global IPs with new developments and digital content.